


Espada and Fraccion

by WinteryFall



Series: Days in Hueco Mundo [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Conserned Mother hen Nelliel, Fear, Flirting, Fluff, Fraccion Ichigo, Grimmjow's temper is awful, Hierarchy, Hollow Ichigo - Freeform, Ichigo misunderstands his intentions, Implied Relationships, M/M, Misunderstanding, Neck Kissing, Random Fluff, Rough Kissing, medic Ichigo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 07:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12031224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinteryFall/pseuds/WinteryFall
Summary: Ichigo is a servant with no master to directly fall under, which makes him a hot target for other, stronger Hollows to prey on.Then, he catches the attention of one of the Espadas, in good or bad, Ichigo has no clue, but either way, he's probably screwed. In what way can be left up to interpretation.





	Espada and Fraccion

**Author's Note:**

> So...I've been writing such angsty stuff right now with my Blazing thunder fic, that I NEEDED to make some random fluff to handle it. This idea popped in my head the other night, and I just had to get it out of my system.  
> Ichigo is probably slightly out of character here, namely his temper is not as bad as it should be, and he doesn't head head first into battle like the bonehead he is.  
> ....That's why I ship these two honestly, they're both hopeless boneheads.  
> So yeah, enjoy this random bit of random fluff I had to dish out, because why not.

The young male sighs, leaning against the wall as he slumps down.

This corridor was empty, giving him some room to breathe. Ichigo rubs his side, still able to feel the sting from the harsh kick dealt to him by the tall, black haired Espada. He’d been caught off guard again, cornered by the fifth and his lapdog. They especially liked to mess with the weaker ones like him. Hell, almost everybody in this place picked on Ichigo, or so it felt like.

Then again, it wasn’t surprising; Espada-less Fraccion were free prey to everybody stronger than the Fraccion themselves.

The only reason he hadn’t died yet was because Ichigo was quick, and people generally lost interest in chasing him down. He could stand up to them, but that would make things worse, at least if it was an Espada bothering him.

”Are you well, Ichigo?”

The orange haired male almost jumps up, and then relaxes as he finds the green haired woman looking down at him with a slight concerned look.

Nelliel Tu Odercshvank was one of the few Espada who did not use him as their personal punching bag. She, alongside her partner, Tia Harribel.

The women shared the title of the Third Espada.

”Yes Nelliel-Sama, I just had a long day.” The woman sighs and smiles, giving him a scolding look.

”I told you, you may call me Nel.”

”It doesn’t feel appropriate.” The younger replies instantly; this was drilled into the weaker Arrancar’s heads since their birth; one must treat the Espada with respect, lest they wanted to meet a painful end.

Nelliel-sama was not like this though, and neither was Harribel; they both shared a similar, caring nature that made them be nicer to the weaker Fraccions like Ichigo. Perhaps that was the reason they shared the rank, given their matching nature, alongside the matching power-level.

”Come on, Ichigo; let’s get that fixed.” She nods towards the bruise on Ichigo’s cheek, and the orange haired male sighs and nods, rubbing it.

Nnoitra-san had slapped him pretty hard, nearly knocking him out.

”You really should not let them pick on you.” The green haired woman tells him gently as they head towards her and Harribel’s chambers. Ichigo says nothing; what was a Fraccion of his level to do against the mighty Espada?

He was far too weak for that.

He could deal with other, non-Espada owned Fraccion easily, but Ichigo did not really want to waste time on petty squabbles like that in general.

It was not that he disliked fighting; all Arrancar were warriors after all.

It was just that Ichigo did not like meaningless battles.

”Really, Ichigo; Tia and I both worry how much you get thrown around.” Nelliel tells him with a quieter voice once they reach their wing.

Ichigo still says nothing; he just sits still patiently, while the orange haired female healer fixes his face.

Orihime Inoue was Ulquoirra-sama’s Fraccion, but Ichigo had a feeling the fourth Espada was highly fond of her in a level that went beyond servant-master relationship; she could make him smile, in a way nothing else did.

”There, all done.” The woman says cheerfully, flashing him a reassuring smile.

”Thanks, Orihime.” Ichigo smiles at her too; it was rare for folks in Las Noches to form any sort of actual friendship bonds, but he and Inoue were close.

”Was he in a fight again?” The blond haired female Espada questions her partner once she steps in, and Nelliel sighs and nods, looking at Ichigo with a frown. Ichigo greets the woman politely, bowing his head as was appropriate. ”It would be easier if he was somebody’s personal Fraccion; others would be less likely to pick on him.”

Nelliel hums with an agreeing nod. ”I wish I could take you under my wing, Ichigo.” Nelliel tells him apologizing.

The orange haired male just gives her a reassuring smile, indicating that he understood. There were rules regarding to the Fraccion an Espada could have; most of them had ones before they gained the rank of an Espada, and therefore were not allowed to take more, unless they lost their previous ones. It had something to do with power-balance and pre-existing bonds, a lot of things Ichigo did not understand but went along with it anyway. Given how Nel and Harribel both had Fraccions already, they could not take anybody under their direct command anymore, unless there was some special circumstance that would make Aizen-Sama allow it.

Ichigo doubted his blight was one of those cases. Best they could do was look after Ichigo like this, in case they spotted him in trouble.

”I can handle myself; I am still alive am I not?”

The two female Espada did not look reassured.

 

 

It was that time again; all of the Arrancar had been called by Aizen-Sama to witness the birth of a new member to this hierarchical family. Ichigo was curious, but also nervous, being surrounded by so many powerful beings, beings that could easily destroy him with a simple lift of a finger. He stood by the rogue-Fraccions – those without an Espada as a master - as he was supposed to, glancing towards Nelliel, who was surrounded by her two strange looking ones.

She gives him a light smile as their eyes meet, and then turns her attention back to what was happening.

A wide-eyed, blonde haired one, who seemed to be a little ... out of it, to put it nicely.

Still, Ichigo could feel a fairly strong aura emanating from the newcomer.

”He looks weird.” Somebody amongst the Espada-less fraccions comments, and Ichigo could hear more whispering around him, as his fellows theorized about the newcomer’s powers.

”He looks dumb.” Says another, gaining some snickers from within the group.

Ichigo remains quiet for a bit, but eventually loses his nerve at the mocking voices. ”It is rather early to judge someone when they were just born.” He comments bitingly, and soon quite a few people on the group turn to stare at him. Ichigo holds his ground, even when the big guy Fraccion stomps to him, looking at the smaller male with an angry scowl.

”The hell are you about, squirt?”

Ichigo just crosses his arms, not letting the big guy’s size intimidate him. Amongst the rogue-Fraccion, Ichigo was actually one of the strongest. It was just that most didn't know this due to him holding back his powers a lot, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble.

”All I am saying, is that it is too early to judge. One could have said you’re powerful enough to be of higher rank from your looks, yet you stand here with us. You could not even become a Fraccion to one of Espada.”

The Armadillo-like guy growls at him and grabs Ichigo off the floor by the neck.

”Why you little...!” Before he could do anything, a large weight lands on all of the restless Fraccion, and the man drops him, kneeling to the ground.

Looking up, Ichigo finds the pale faced Espada pace towards them calmly.

”Do not cause ruckus while Aizen-Sama is preparing the newborn.” The fourth Espada tells them calmly, and the large Fraccion bows, his head to the floor, apologizing profusely. Ichigo could feel the green eyes shift at him, and he tenses lightly. Ulquoirra-Sama had never been violent or abusive towards him, but his aura was so powerful it made him uneasy regardless.

”Try not to cause so much trouble, Kurosaki. Inoue has been...concerned for you.”

Ulquoirra comments with his usual passive, soft tone, quiet enough for only him to hear.

Ichigo mutters out an apology, knowing that it was hard not to. He could tell even now that the big guy was giving him the side-eye, ready to get his claws on him once they were dismissed. As Ulquoirra leaves, the big guy glares at him meaningfully, but Ichigo just turns his back to the brute, knowing he would not try anything right now.

 

Suddenly, a shiver travels down Ichigo’s spine, a sure sign that somebody much more powerful was looking at him, someone who wasn’t Nel or Harribel-sama.

As Ichigo cautiously glances around, at first he doesn’t see any of the Espada look towards their group.

Then, as his gaze lands at the side of the room, the higher up pillars that towered above most of the large hall, Ichigo sees him.

His heart - metaphorically speaking as his kind technically did not have those - skips a beat and then begins to race erratically as Ichigo realizes who was looking down at them.

It was _him_.

The Sixth Espada.

Ichigo barely saw him around; the man was often out of the castle, wreaking havoc against the hollows attempting to break through Las Noches’ defenses.

 The only times Ichigo had seen him, was brief glimpses inside the castle, and the grand battles outside, the kind you could feel even from miles away as his enormous Reiatsu washed over you, making you weak on the knees.

The sixth was a true monster, equally brutal to Nnoitra-san, but on top of that, Ichigo had heard of him being someone that even Aizen-Sama had trouble handling.

He was a wild, near uncontrollable beast so to say, a beast that was currently looking down at their nervous little group.

To be precise, he was looking straight at Ichigo.

The Fraccion knew he was not supposed to do this, to hold eye-contact with an Espada for this long, but he felt almost hypnotized by the intense blue tone of those eyes peering down at him with a slight amused smirk dancing on the Espada’s face.

”What the hell are you doing Kurosaki, get back in line!” A female arrancar from behind him warns the young man, kicking his leg. She’d noticed the way the orange haired male had been staring up at one of their high-ranking members, and knew he could end up in trouble for that, and perhaps even drag others into that mess.

Ichigo quickly turns his gaze away, swallowing down nervously.

The blue eyes still watched him from high up, amused by the little one’s bravery.

 

 

He’d hoped to get into his chambers before the bigger Fraccion reached him, but unfortunately he had no such luck; Ichigo found himself pinned against a wall by his neck, glaring down at the giant he’d pissed off earlier. ”Why does Aizen-Sama keep a weakling such as yourself around?” The big guy growls, his friends sneering at Ichigo as well.

”I could say the same about you; what use is of your size when all you do is get stuck on the doorways?”

He gets thrown against another wall, and coughs out some blood, before scrambling up.

”You got too big mouth for that head of yours!”

The guy stops, and then smirks.

”Maybe I should crush it.”

He charges at Ichigo, who dives out of the way, blasting the guy in the head with a cero. It chips away his mask, but other than that, really just seems to piss him off further. His goons stay out of the way as the big guy starts trashing about, trying to hit Ichigo who kept dodging his attacks.

”Stay still you little runt!” The big guy growls at him, and Ichigo almost rolls his eyes at him; like hell he’d do that. Ichigo dodges another attack that chips away a huge chunk of the wall, and he skids away into a larger corridor, moving backwards as he did so.

”It’s not my fault if you are too slow.” Mocking the giant probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but Ichigo did not mind putting arrogant bastards like this shithead down a peg if he could.

”Oh I’ll show you slow, little runt! I’ll rip you apart slowly once I get my hands on you!” Ichigo smirks, throwing a cero at the Fraccion’s head, making him stumble backwards with a pained howl.

As the orange haired male backs away further however, he suddenly collides with something, and tenses instantly.

Ichigo could feel the incredibly powerful aura coming off from the person he’d just stumbled against.

Crap, he was in trouble.

Before he could even begin to turn and splutter out an apology, a warm hand grasps his shoulder firmly, freezing him in place. The Fraccion chasing him also tenses once he spots who exactly was standing behind Ichigo.

”The hell are you causin’ a ruckus here?”

Ichigo felt a shiver travel down his spine; he’d been in close proximity of an Espada before, both voluntarily and involuntarily, but never with him. The sixth usually ignored weaklings like him.

”I-I was just trying to teach this disrespectful brat a lesson, Jeagerjaquez-Sama! He was making a fuss during Wonderweiss’ birth.”

The big guy stutters out, and it would have been hilarious to Ichigo in seeing him scared shitless like this, had he not been terrified as well right now. He dares a glance up at the Espada, whose blue eyes were currently focused on the shaking Fraccion in front of them.

He seemed positively unimpressed by the man's lie, and Ichigo felt the warm hand creep from his shoulder at the back of his neck, making him tense even further; the Espada could easily snap his neck with a twist of an arm if he felt like it.

So far he doesn’t seem intent on doing so, as the fingers simply rub the skin there, playing with the orange strands while the man still looks at the big guy stuttering an explanation in front of him.

”Really, he’s always such trouble, we try to tell him to shut up, but he won’t listen!”

The sixth snorts at that, making the Fraccion freeze as he heard that sound.

”Your brain must be malfunctioning, cause I’m pretty damn sure it was you and yer buddies flapping their mouths, while he told ya to shut the fuck up.” The large Fraccion goes quiet, glancing around as if trying to find a place to escape to. The blunette’s face twists into a terrifying grin, and his grip from Ichigo’s hair tightens for a second.

”But sure, if ya want to dispute me on that, I’ll hear ya.”

Ichigo could tell from the aura the man was putting off that doing so would be an extremely dumb idea. The big guy coughs, then starts to back away slowly, before practically sprinting away from the scene like the devil itself was after him. Ichigo stares after the escaping Fraccion, feeling a bit of relief hit him as he likely would not have to deal with him anymore today.

It is quickly replaced by dread however, as he realizes he was now alone with an Espada, one that he knew to be violent.

The sixth had never really paid attention to him, but Ichigo had a feeling he was doing it now because he’d gone and had eye-contact with the man, something that was heavily frowned upon; only one’s Fraccion were allowed to do so, and only towards their own leader.

Even then, it depended on the Espada.

”Yer a brave little shit, aren’t you?” The man questions him and Ichigo tries to swallow down, his throat dry from his nervousness.

”I’m sorry, I did not mean...”

The blunette snorts and yanks his head back from his hair, forcing the smaller male to look up at him. The blue eyes showed no sign of anger, but that meant nothing; he could still rip his head off if he wanted to, just for fun.

”Stop lettin’ ’em push yer sorry ass around; I can tell you’re stronger than that.” The man tells him simply with an unimpressed look on his face, and then releases Ichigo’s hair, stuffing his into his pockets and walking away.

Ichigo looks after the Espada, confused on what was going on; he’d been sure the man would punish him for making eye-contact, but he did not seem to care at all. Ichigo rubs at the back of his neck, still feeling the ghost of the warm touch there.

 

 

 

Ichigo was helping Inoue organize the medical wing, when an Espada was brought there for treatment; apparently a fight with a larger group of rebellious Hollows had been tougher than expected, injuring him in the process.

It was the big guy, Yammy.

Ichigo did not like him much, the tenth was loud and obnoxious, and he was generally nasty towards people weaker than him. The only reason he did not try to harm Inoue was because she was Ulquiorra’s favorite, and the man at least had some respect for the pale faced companion of his.

”Get on with it already! I need to go and get those bastards for humiliating me!” The man booms at Orihime, who flinches a bit; she was preparing to restore the man’s torn shoulder. Ichigo frowns, wanting to take her place so she wouldn’t have to treat the loud maniac, but unfortunately his wounds were not something he could handle.

Then, a shiver runs down his spine.

”They got you too? That’s pathetic, JeagerJaquez!”

Ichigo turns to look at the doorway, finding the blue haired Espada leaning against the doorway, holding his side slightly. He just grins viciously at the big guy, his smile making every weaker arrancar in the room falter. Inoue especially went a little stiff, for she’d dealt with the sixth Espada before, and he positively terrified her.

Apparently she’d seen him kill someone up close, Ichigo had not been there then so he had no idea what happened.

”While you were resting yer sorry ass on the ground, knocked out cold, I dealt with all of ’em.” The man informs his big companion casually, walking in and slumping to sit on the examination table beside Ichigo.

The young male now notes there was a nasty looking slash on his back, which was dripping blood.

Yammy just laughs at the sixth’s arrogant smile, slapping his own knee so strongly the sound of it echoed in the room for a while. ”That’s more like it! But you should have left me some, who am I gonna take revenge on now?!”

The blue haired male just shrugs, informing Yammy that it wasn’t his problem. His eyes then drift at Ichigo, who tenses lightly, feeling trapped under that intense stare.

”The fuck you staring at? Do your job.” The man grunts, gesturing at the slashes on his back.

Inoue hurries to state that she’d be handling it in a minute, but Ichigo shakes her head, informing the girl he could handle this.

The man rolls his eyes and tugs the jacket off him, exposing the strong frame beneath properly. He was positively ripped, like most of the male Espada were, and there was a tint of jealousy in Ichigo’s mind: he could only wish to be as powerful as Jeagerjaquez-san.

The orange haired Fraccion shakes his head and focuses on cleaning the bleeding wounds.

Based on the smell, there was poison in it, but it was apparently too weak to bother the Espada, who in general was still while Ichigo tended him, not flinching or complaining out loud like Yammy liked to do. Unknowingly to him, several pairs of eyes were watching him tend the brutish warrior, surprised about something; even Inoue glanced at Ichigo at times, as if expecting something to happen and being confused when it didn’t.

Ichigo felt his delicate fingers shake a little as he stitched up the wounds; treating an Espada was always nerve-wrecking as you never knew what they’d do. Yammy for example, had killed a few of the nurses already, and Nnoitra had also fucked a couple of them up.

Grimmjow was not an exception in all likeness, though Ichigo had rarely seen him on medic-bay, so he did not really know how the Espada usually treated the medical staff.

While closing the slashes, he could not stop but note how warm and smooth the skin beneath his fingertips was.

For a fierce warrior, the sixth barely had any scars on him.

Either his healing factor was remarkable, or his skill. Either way, Ichigo was impressed. He glances up at Inoue, who steps back, finished with her task.

Yammy checks his arm out, and then satisfied that it was healed, punches the bench he’d sat on into pieces just to show the strength of his strike. ”Good! I feel even stronger than before! You sure know how to do your shit, woman!”

Yammy laughs and Inoue gives him a tense smile, backing away a bit reflexively. The big guy turns to look at his fellow Espada, who was looking at him with an unimpressed look.

”If ya keep fucking up their stuff, Aizen’s gonna bitch at you.”

Ichigo’s hands stop, and he lifts eyebrow a little; he’d never heard of anybody - not even Espada - to be so casual about their master’s name.

Everybody else always addressed him with honorifics, so Grimmjow’s near rude remark was surprising.

Yammy did not seem bothered by it, indicating the blunette did this a lot.

”What? I haven’t broken a nurse’s skull for ages now; he got no reason to complain!” Grimmjow just rolls his eyes at the big guy, who stomps off from medical, laughing loudly.

”He’s such a stupid fucker.”

The sixth comments with a snort, then glances at Ichigo, who realizes he’d stopped to listen their interaction perhaps a bit too closely.

Ichigo quickly turns his attention back at his task, muttering out an apology. The blue eyes keep looking at him over the man’s shoulder for a bit, before turning away. Eventually, Ichigo was done, and he wipes last bits of blood off from the man’s back, before he tugs on his jacket. Before he could turn away and wash the bloodied towel however, a strong arm grasps his wrist, and Ichigo turns to look at the Espada slightly spooked.

The blue eyes examine him quietly for a moment, making Ichigo’s heartbeat faster with each passing second.

”What was yer name again?”

Ichigo blinks, having not expected such a question.

“….Kurosaki Ichigo, Jeagerjaquez-San.”

The Espada keeps examining him with a slight frown, and it was making him nervous.

Not just him, mind you; everybody in the room – Inoue and few other medic Fraccions – were watching them, holding their breaths.

“The hell are you still a rogue?”

Ichigo blinks again, surprised by that question as well. He shrugs, wanting to yank his arm away from the strong grip, but knowing he couldn’t do so. Sixth’s hold on him was too strong, so he didn’t bother trying. ”Majority of Espadas has their Fraccion already, and those who don’t, have absolutely no interest in me.”

Grimmjow snorts at that and stands up, still holding onto his arm. He was standing very close, staring down at Ichigo, those blue eyes trapping him to his spot again. Ichigo could sense the air in the room tense, as the people around them waited, holding their breaths, on what the Espada was going to do to the little Fraccion. After a moment of silence, the man grins and leans closer, his breath brushing over Ichigo’s ear and making the younger male tremble lightly.

”I find that hard to believe.”

Ichigo swallows down nervously, and the Espada moves back, releasing him and heading out from the medical, hands in his pockets again. Ichigo stares after him, and then turns to look at Inoue, whose eyes were wide with concern.

”What?” Ichigo asks, but Inoue just shakes her head, concern written all over her features.

Others were looking at him too with perplexed looks, but no one offered an explanation.

 

 

 

Ichigo was running away again. This time from another group of Fraccions that wanted to kick his ass.

Ichigo could have stayed and fought, but he was not the type to want to cause excessive destruction to the castle - it was against the rules - so he chose to try and ditch them as per usual. He was quick, but the bastards were still on his tail; Ichigo could head to the Thirds’ room, but it was at the other end of the palace, so instead Ichigo slips in from the first door he spots, holding his breath and listening to the angry mob to run past the spot.

After a moment, Ichigo peeks from the crack on the door, seeing the backs of his pursuers.

Releasing a slow sigh, the Fraccion presses his head against the door. He was tired of these situations occurring to him, but hiding in Nelliel and Harribel’s wing constantly would be just pathetic. Plus, he still had his duties in the medical wing he could not ignore.

Ichigo did not really have time to deal with other Fraccions wanting to whoop his ass.

Suddenly, there is a presence behind him, and the next thing Ichigo knew he was yanked back by his hair, and as he looks up, he’s greeted with electric blue eyes, looking down at him with amused smile and a lift eyebrow.

There was a towel draped across his shoulders, indicating the Espada had just cleansed himself, probably after battle or so.

”Yer a sneaky lil bastard; did not hear you come in.”

Ichigo attempts to apologize for his intrusion, but his words die on his throat.

Grimmjow examines his little captive for a moment, and then let’s go of his hair, turning and focusing on drying his.

Ichigo watches the Espada, unsure if he should stay or leave; he had not been dismissed per say, but the man had not told him to stay either. So, Ichigo just stands there, fidgeting nervously, as he looks at the man drop the towel to the couch eventually and brush through his hair, before turning to look at Ichigo again. He was shirtless, not even wearing his usual jacket, and Ichigo was once again reminded of the man’s strength.

Water was still dripping down his body, and the young Fraccion feels something else tug on his gut, other than usual fear one felt around an Espada.

As he glances up at the man’s face, he notes there was that amused smirk on his lips again, and Ichigo quickly turns his gaze away, feeling something akin to heat creep up his face.

”So? Why the hell did you barge in my room like this?”

The man’s tone is perfectly casual, like he was not bothered by Ichigo’s presence at all. The young Fraccion licks his lips nervously, noting the way the man kept looking at him intently, watching his every move.

”I was...trying to avoid other Fraccion who were displeased with me, Jeagerjaquez-san.”

The man lifts eyebrow slightly, but doesn’t seem surprised.

”Why? You coulda have kicked their asses.”

”Perhaps, but I felt a fight that scale would have caused too much damage for Las Noches, and Aizen-Sama is strict with this.”

Grimmjow snorts, slumping to sit on his couch, spread about relaxed like a large feline. Ichigo had heard his resurreccion was in fact a feline beast, but he’d never seen it first-hand.

”Oh yeah, forgot Aizen’s stricter with you weaklings compared to us.”

Ichigo blinks, a little curious now. Grimmjow seems to notice his expression, as he smirks.

”I could fuck up half the place and he wouldn’t bat an eyelid, as long as the defenses are still up.”

Oh, that was surprising. Ichigo had seen his fellow Fraccion punished for less. Then again, the hierarchy was probably the reason behind the difference in treatment.

”Not that I count you as one; seen you around kid, yer a lot stronger than given credit for.” The man's tone was lightly puzzled, as he just couldn't wrap his head around on why Ichigo held back so much. Sometimes Ichigo did not know himself, either.

The young Fraccion coughs, rubbing his neck uneasily. He was not certain what to take from that compliment, for coming from an Espada such as Jeagerjaquez, it could mean trouble for him. The man snorts, almost if guessing his thoughts.

”Relax, squirt; you ain’t strong enough fer me to prey on you that way.”

Ichigo did not know how to feel about that either; in a way he was relieved that the man did not see him as a challenge, but he also felt a little burnt from that statement. Ichigo was used to hear himself being described as weak, so having an Espada first dispute it, then confirm it right after, was a little disheartening.

”Still, you can’t go bustin’ in on an Espada’s room without permission.”

Ichigo coughs again and mutters out an apology, keeping his gaze to the ground. He doesn’t notice the man getting up and walking up to him, until he sees his feet on his field of vision. Ichigo looks up abruptly, feeling a sliver of fear run down his spine. A hand reaches up and behind his head, playing with the hair on his neck again. The touch was warm, but it made Ichigo tremble lightly with unease; normally when an Espada touched you, you’d in all likely suffer excessive pain the next moment.

At least when it came to most of them; the two threes were gentler, and Ichigo had heard number one was fairly calm and forgiving as well.

Grimmjow wasn’t.

Ichigo had heard stories of him ripping Fraccion’s limbs off for pissing him off, or sometimes just for the fun of it if one of them managed to catch his attention the wrong way.

You could tell which Fraccion had dealt with him from the way they faltered as the man passed by.

Ichigo swallows down nervously, unable to move his gaze away from the man’s eyes that kept examining him with a stoic look. Then, he leans closer like before, warm breath teasing Ichigo’s ear again. He was so close; Ichigo could feel the warmth his body radiated, as well as the intense aura that creeped around him, nailing him to his feet. Ichigo felt his breath quicken, and he used a lot of his willpower to not start shaking.

”Next time, at least have the decency to knock.”

The man whispers into his ear with a low voice, sending shivers run down Ichigo’s spine. Not the kind he was used to however. They were warm, almost hot instead of the usual coldness fear would cause. He could feel sharp teeth graze at his ear, before the man pulls away and casually walks back to the couch, slumping to lie down on it.

That was a dismissal if Ichigo had ever seen any.

 

 

It turned out, that would not be the first or the last time the orange haired Fraccion found himself in the sixth’s chambers; after that initial surprise visit, he’d curiously been requested to tend to the man’s needs when it came to medical attention in the future.

According to what he’d heard from the superior informing him about this, it had been noticed that the sixth had been unusually calm patient when he’d treated the man, which apparently was not usual of him. Grimmjow, it turned out, was actually a stubborn patient who would normally kick a fuss if somebody tried to treat him when he felt like he didn’t need it, hence the true reason behind the fact he was rarely in medical bay.

Ichigo should not have been that surprised about this, honestly.

When Ichigo had treated him, apparently their superior had noticed the Espada being much less of a bother, and decided that the orange haired male Fraccion should handle the difficult warrior from now on. It was nerve-wrecking at first, but Grimmjow never kicked a fuss about it, as had been noticed; he’d bitch about having to get fixed alright, but the second Ichigo touched him, the man calmed down and let him do what he had to.

Currently, Ichigo was in his chamber again, treating a badly burned arm. He’d apparently taken a powerful cero point-blank, letting it scorch his arm.

While the injury was minor, Ichigo could not stop but scold him a little.

”You could have used your sword instead.”

”Woulda been too easy.” The man just smirks at him lazily.

The orange haired male sighs, but says nothing; he did not want to end up upsetting the Espada, for he already had a few who did not like his guts. Having the sixth start disliking him as well could be a pain, literally and figuratively. As Ichigo wraps a bandage around the scorched limb, he was highly aware of the blue eyes examining him, but tries to push it away from his mind.

He’d treated those of his rank before, namely Yammy or that - pardon the french - bastard Nnoitra and neither of them made Ichigo feel this uneasy.

It was kind of strange given how Yammy was known to potentially harm the medical staff, whereas Nnoitra just didn’t like Ichigo for some reason. He had much more reasons to be uneasy of those two.

Yet, having the sixth look at him the way he did, unnerved Ichigo more than any act of violence from the other two.

”There. Be careful with this for few days, and try not to burn your other arm as well.”

Ichigo comments without even thinking, then soon remembers he was not dealing with Yammy, who’d just laugh at his comment, or Nnoitra, who’d tell him to fuck off, let alone Nelliel who’d laugh and promise to be careful. Ichigo is about to add a more respectful comment to it, when a hand lifts his chin up, making him look directly into the blue eyes. Grimmjow did not seem mad at all, rather, there was amusement dancing in his eyes, like he often had when watching Ichigo.

”Yer a sassy little one, aren’t you?”

Ichigo swallows down lightly, unsure if that was a compliment or a scolding. The Espada drops his hand and brushes his hair with the other one, flinching lightly as it was the burned limb.

”I did warn you.” Ichigo blurts out in his usual direct manner, and bites his lip, scolding himself for that; he was not certain how this particular Espada responded to such direct behavior, and last thing he needed was having the Sixth kill him for disrespect.

The blue haired man just laughs, a low, slightly unstable tone that hinted at the kind of unpredictable nature he possessed.

It was not cold or an angry laugh though, and as he looks at Ichigo again, the smirk on his lips indicated he was not bothered by Ichigo’s bluntness.

In fact, he seemed to like it.

That realization did weird things to Ichigo’s mind, throwing it into a loop.

”Watch yer mouth a lil more; not everybody’s as nice as me.” Ichigo almost points out that Grimmjow was known as anything but nice, but the grin on the man’s face indicated that he knew it, and that was the point.

So, he remains quiet.

 

 

 

He did not see the Espada for a while, busy with his duties. However, as he was returning from a visit at Starrk-San’s quarters - the man had suffered a minor injury, and while he’d said it was fine, his other half had told the man to get it checked - he ran into trouble again.

It was that armadillo-guy and his gang, looking for Ichigo to fuck with him.

They were still clearly pissy about the humiliation he’d given them, by having an Espada come to his aid twice. Ichigo was not on the mood for dealing with them, so he tries to sneak away, but soon realizes that he’d taken the wrong turn, ending up on the opposite hallway he was supposed to go. Hearing the group close in, he looks around and notices that Grimmjow’s door was open. After a moment of hesitation, Ichigo slips inside and pushes the door closed, waiting for the group pass by again.

”They giving you shit again?”

Despite knowing this could be the case, Ichigo still jumps, turning to look at the man who was lying lazily on the couch, one eye open and peeking at him.

”I was busy and did not feel like dealing with them.” He sighs and brushes through his hair. The Espada pushes himself up and tilts his head with a lift eyebrow.

”Why don’t cha just whoop their asses, I’m pretty sure you can. They’ll stop fucking with you then.”

Ichigo bites his lip, unsure on how to answer to that. He was also unsure if not answering would be deemed as bad; most Espada wanted you to answer if you got asked a question. The difference here was the utter casualty Grimmjow often addressed him with. He did not tall down to Ichigo like he was a servant, but he was not particularly nice and caring like Nelliel.

”Ya don’t hafta answer; I don’t really care either way, was just curious.” The Espada shrugs and then slumps back down, closing his eyes.

Ichigo just looks at him, not knowing how to process all of this. All other Espada he’d dealt with demanded respect, wanting you to address them with honorifics - well, aside from Nelliel - and would quite frankly have beaten his ass for barging in like this again. They would have not chatted with him casually, and then gone back to whatever they were doing after not gaining an answer to a question.

”Ya can wait till they fuck off from this area, if you really don’t wanna kick their asses yet.” Grimmjow comments after a moment of silence, and Ichigo glances at the door, still hearing the group talk between one another, looking for him.

Yeah, maybe that would be the best for now. Cautiously, the young Fraccion walks further in to the room, noting that while it was more spacious than his, it was still rather plain. Grimmjow clearly did not care for fancy things like Szayel or the second Espada, former king of Hueco Mundo. He just had what he needed, a bed, a couch, a table and a bathroom. Unsure on what to do, Ichigo sits to the edge of the bed cautiously, then looks trough the notebook he had, which had some data on patients, including his latest notes regarding to Starrk.

It was his personal one, so there were also some more general writings about each Arrancar he treated.

Basically, few words describing each of them from his perspective; in Starrk’s page for example, there were descriptions like ’ _friendly,’ ’aloof’_ and _’melancholic.”_ Yammy’s had _’loud,’ ’obnoxious,’_ and _’probably a little dim.’_

Ichigo flips the pages, hitting on the notes regarding to the Espada currently lying on the couch with his eyes closed, hands behind his head. So far, Ichigo barely had anything on him, having dealt with the man so little.

He had written one description there already though.

_’Frighteningly handsome.’_

It was such a weird note Ichigo had made. Sure, Nelliel’s did say that she was pretty, but she was almost like a friend to him. It was weird for Ichigo to make a note like this on a person’s looks when he barely knew them.

”The hell are you reading?”

Ichigo almost jumps again and holds the notebook to his chest, gaining an amused chuckle from the man.

”I thought keepin’ a diary was a woman-thing.”

”They’re just my medical notes, that’s all.” Ichigo explains, feeling slight bit of embarrassed heat creep up his face.

”And those make you get flustered as fuck because....?” Ichigo blinks, unsure on how to respond to that.

The Espada was....teasing him. In a friendly, non-threatening way, sort of like how Nelliel would. It was so bizarre Ichigo did not know how to react to it.

”You really that surprised that an Espada’s bein’ decent to ya?” The man asks amused, and after a moment of hesitation, Ichigo nods.

”Aside from Lady Harribel and Nelliel, most of them tend to be either dismissive or...uhm..Unpleasant towards me and most medical staff.”

Grimmjow lifts eyebrow at that.

”The old guy Starrk too? Somehow I fucking doubt that. Guy’s soft as fuck for his level.”

Ichigo almost wanted to chuckle at the man’s blunt honesty when it came to voicing his thoughts about the other Espada. It reminded Ichigo of himself a little, though Grimmjow would be less likely to get in trouble about it given his rank. That probably explained why he was fine with Ichigo’s direct statements; the man was used to dishing them out himself.

”Well...I see Starrk-san rarely. Today was my first time after two months.”

Grimmjow hums at that, examining the young Fraccion on his bed for a moment. His gaze was making Ichigo uncomfortable again, and he shifts, contemplating if he should go and get out already.

”M’guessing t’was his brat-half demanding him to check some tiny scrap he got.” Ichigo blinks then cannot stop his slight chuckle as he nods.

”Yes, Lady Lilynette was adamant on him getting it checked; he agreed to it as long as I’d be the one checking on him as he seems to like me.”

Grimmjow snorts at that, flashing him a smirk.

”Don’t blame ’im. Out of all of the shit medics we got - aside from Ulquoirra’s chick - yer actually decent to look at for longer than five seconds.”

Ichigo rubs his neck, feeling a little nervous under that stare now. He also wanted to tell Grimmjow to not refer to Orihime as a ’chick’ but he knew all too well that would likely be stepping over a boundary; he was not one to tell an Espada how they would talk to their servants.

That was an obvious, unsaid rule.

Ichigo slips out from the bed and brushes through his hair, informing the Espada that he was going now, and politely thanking him for letting him stay for a bit. Grimmjow just rolls eyes at his politeness and goes back to his napping.

 

As Ichigo eventually reaches his chambers, he takes out a pen and writes few more notes about Grimmjow.

The words he ends up putting on paper are _’rebellious’_ and _’doesn’t have a stick up his ass like most.’_

Ichigo almost smiles at that last one.

 

 

 

”Ichigo?”

The orange haired male looks up at Inoue, who was examining him with a concerned frown.

”Uhh, yes?”

She sighs and puts away the medic supplies in her hands, grasping Ichigo’s hand and walking him to sit at the bench next to the window. ”You’ve been awfully quiet today, so I was wondering...”

She begins, and then brushes her hair, as if not knowing how to say it.

”Earlier today, I mentioned Nel...Nelliel-san, about the...what happened with Grimmjow-san, his reaction towards you I mean when you treated his wounds for the first time.”

Orihime corrects herself quickly; she’d grown used to calling the woman Nel instead of her honorific title, but she knew not to do it in public, as it would raise eyebrows. Talking about eyebrows, Ichigo lifts his at her words; why had Inoue felt the need to mention that brief, strange encounter.

Yes, having an Espada get in your personal space like that was unusual, but still; they were allowed to do so.

They outranked servants like him and Inoue after all.

Plus, it was not like Grimmjow had done anything to him since.

”She was...slightly alarmed by it. And since you have been kind of quiet since, I was wondering...”

”Oh, no, he has not done anything to me; I was just in my thoughts for the past few days, that's all.”

Ichigo rushes to reassure the woman, who keeps looking at him with that concern in her eyes. Ichigo did not blame her for her worry; normally getting Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez’ attention meant a lot of pain to the person. At least, that’s what people often said. So far, most of his attention Ichigo had gotten was... surprisingly pleasant. It was a nice change from the overly strict hierarchical thinking most other Espadas had, making them act like they were better than you.

Even Harribel-san had an air of authority around her like this, though Ichigo also genuinely respected her, not just out of the system rules.

Honestly, Ichigo felt Inoue was getting paranoid over one - well, technically two - slightly off-color encounters.

”Really, don’t worry about me, I’ve survived worse and I am still alive.”

Inoue did not look convinced.

 

 

That night, Ichigo wandered across Las Noches in his thoughts; he did it a lot, as during those times there were barely anybody around and he could move more freely without having to worry about somebody wanting to pick on him or throw him into an unnecessary fight. Well, technically speaking it was always night in Hueco Mundo, but Aizen had made it seem like the days changed within the castle.

As he gazes out into the palace-yard, which was really just a patch of desert that would bathe in artificial sunlight once the ’morning’ rolled around, Ichigo notices a figure further away. He could tell from the Reiatsu levels alone that it was somebody powerful, an Espada. It was not unusual for them to go out for a stroll at night to the inner yard, but this figure seemed to be heading out of the safe confines of the place. As he watches the figure head away, Ichigo cannot stop his curiosity. He leaps down to the courtyard and begins tailing the person, trying to hide his presence as well as he could. It was actually easy for Ichigo; due to him being constantly in trouble, he’d learnt to hide his Reiatsu fairly well from others. Getting closer, Ichigo realizes who the Espada was; it was Grimmjow.

Wondering why the man was heading out when there did not seem to be any ongoing attacks against the castle, Ichigo sneaks out after him, probably against his best judgment. He watches the man stop for a moment and gaze around the dead scenery, before he suddenly turns back towards the palace, forcing Ichigo to dodge hiding behind a stone pillar. Honestly, he did not know why he was hiding; Grimmjow-san probably did not care if some weakling followed him or not.

After a moment of examining the area, the blunette huffs and disappears with a burst of sonido, heading up to the roof of the palace.

For a moment Ichigo wonders if the man was just on guard duty, but then slaps himself for that; the Espada would not do such petty jobs. They were called only in the direst of situations. Ichigo walks out of his hide, staring up at the palace wall, pondering if he should go up as well. He glances towards the main entrance, then back up. Having made his mind, Ichigo focuses and leaps up as well, taking several spurts of sonido of his own until he reaches the top and lands there with a soft thud. Ichigo looks around, but could not spot the blue-haired man anywhere. Perhaps he’d gone elsewhere?

The young Fraccion sighs, wondering why he’d even bothered to come there. Ichigo walks beside the tower and turns to look out, gazing at the undeniably repetitive scenery. Nothing but sand, dead trees and rocks, everywhere you could look at. It was almost melancholy to look at, but also his home.

As Ichigo gazes into the emptiness around him, he fails to sense the presence heading towards him, until a hand grasps the back of his neck again, accompanied with a hot breath against his ear.

”What brings you up here, lil Fraccion?”

Ichigo almost jumps, hearing the low voice right next to his ear, and he glances up at the blue eyes looking at him with that same, amused expression.

”I...couldn’t sleep.” Ichigo states dully, his brain shorting out on him once again.

He’d been uneasy around other Espada’s presence before, but Grimmjow seemed to be able to truly make him feel paralyzed, like he forgot how moving, blinking, and breathing works.

”So you figured the best idea would be ta come up here where you could easily get eaten by someone stronger than you?”

The man chuckles, nipping his ear lightly at the ’eaten’ part, making Ichigo’s metaphorical heart skip a beat again.

”I was...curious.”

The man lifts eyebrow at that, his hand slipping down from his neck to rest on his shoulder loosely. ”I saw you go out. The Espada normally do that only if their power is needed.” Ichigo states, and then realizes he’d forgotten about the honorifics. Before he could correct himself however, Grimmjow snorts and flashes a smirk at him that makes the young Fraccion’s stomach flutter strangely.

”Drop the honorifics. I don’t exactly care fer that shit in case you did not notice already.”

Ichigo sort of had, but he’d never really processed this properly.

”Aizen-Sama would not approve of that.”

”Aizen can go fuck himself.”

Ichigo blinks, staring up at the man with a positively scandalized look on his face.

Grimmjow just flashes another smirk at him, and Ichigo turns his face away, feeling the familiar heat creep up his face.

”As for yer question; m’waitin’ for my idiot Fraccions to return.”

Ah, that’s right. Ichigo had heard that Grimmjow had his personal aides too, four or five if he recalled right.

He’d treated one of them once, the red haired big guy who was loud like Yammy, but honestly more tolerable, he seemed to have some sort of code of honor, which made him less hostile towards medical staff.

Ichigo also could not stop but lift eyebrow at the word ’idiot’ being used, namely because it sounded almost affectionate.

He says nothing to it however, figuring it was not his place to comment on it.

As few silent moments passed, the orange haired male could feel the Espada’s hand slip back up to play with his hair, fingers rubbing the delicate skin there. Ichigo shivered lightly, clutching the white canvas of his coat almost reflexively.

The touch felt... good, and Ichigo was really uneasy about showing it, not knowing why the Espada was doing this.

Soon, Ichigo felt the man shift and stand behind him, fingers from both hands pressing against his delicate skin now, slipping up at times to comb through his hair. Ichigo squeezes his eyes shut, biting his lip to not make a noise. His hands were clutching the white canvas tightly, his knuckles turning into a similar shade. As Grimmjow keeps rubbing his neck however, Ichigo feels his hands unclench themselves and relax, and he tilts his head forward a bit, releasing a slow, quiet breath.

He felt the warm touch trail down to his shoulders, and Ichigo suddenly felt a little frustrated that his coat had a tighter collar; he could not feel the warm touch against his skin anymore.

Regardless, feeling the strong hands rub his tense shoulders still felt guiltily good, and he bites his lip to remain quiet, feeling the flushed tone on his face.

Why was Grimmjow doing that? Why was he letting him?

”You this tense around everyone?”

The man whispers into his ear with a chuckle, nearly making Ichigo jump again.

”...I feel fear response is natural when in the presence of an Espada.” Ichigo says diplomatically, the feeling of hot breath brushing against his ear making him shiver.

Grimmjow hums at that, his teeth grazing at Ichigo’s ear again in a manner that made the orange haired male shudder.

A second later, the man backs away slowly, letting go of him.

”Go back inside before you get eaten.”

He tells Ichigo simply, turning his back to the flustered Fraccion.

Ichigo watches him go; bringing his hand up to brush his ear and neck. He could still feel Grimmjow’s powerful aura linger around him, almost like the gaze of a wild beast in the night trying to decide if it would bother attacking the prey it saw or not.

Ichigo felt something tug on his gut that he had not felt before; a sense of uneasy thrill.

His body trembled as chills travelled down his spine, but they were not cold, made out of fear like they usually would. They were burning hot, making his entire body restless.

 

 

 

After that night, Ichigo’s instincts became highly aware of the particular Espada.

They’d let him know if those blue eyes were watching him; Ichigo was both thrilled and unnerved to find out just how often this actually happened. In almost every general meeting, where Aizen-Sama wished to speak to all of them, Grimmjow would be watching him. If a new Arrancar was being born, the Espada paid no attention, his gaze often drifting towards the fiery haired Fraccion. Ichigo would at times meet his gaze, and the man would flash him a smirk, the kind that made his body feel fluttery all over. The young man had never quite felt something like this; he felt like he was being followed by a predator keen on devouring him, yet he somehow was not scared of it.

It made his heart race, his breathing fasten, but not in what felt like fear.

Ichigo managed to ignore these strange sensations for the most part.

 

Then, it got worse.

There had been another attack against Las Noches by rebellious Arrancar that opposed Aizen’s rule; Ichigo was amongst the Fraccion that were to treat those injured in battle. That’s when he’d finally seen it. A fiend Hollow had actually crashed through the palace roof, followed by the warrior who’d struck it down. It was Grimmjow.

He was in his resurrection form, and Ichigo was struck speechless as he saw it.

A white beast, clad in white armor, with feline-like features on his body. It was like he’d been described; a panther toying with its prey, making it run before devouring it. Ichigo could even spot the angry snarl on the man’s face, indicating that whatever was going on in that fight, it was personal. As a group of outsider Arrancars attempt to gang on him, the Espada releases out a loud roar, the air-pressure alone was injuring his opponents rather badly.

It travels across the desert, all the way to them and knocks several of the medics off their feet, even breaking some rocks with the sheer pressure of it.

”He needs to calm down; the shock-waves could end up injuring our wounded further.” Orihime comments cautiously, brushing her hair out of her face as the fierce wind had blown it all over her head.

Ichigo says nothing, just watches the fight in awe; he’d seen Espadas fight before, but he had not seen anyone so fast and animalistically brutal.

Grimmjow was truly a beast, a king of the jungle so to say.

He stared the fight for so long, that Inoue had to tug on his sleeve to regain Ichigo’s focus, so they could treat the injured together. As the orange haired male spares one last glance towards the Espada, a bright blue blast evaporates the enemy, leaving him standing there alone with a victorious, angry grin plastered on his face. The resurrecion evaporates, leaving the man unscathed aside from his messed up hair.

Blue eyes glance towards him, finding Ichigo’s warm browns almost instantly, like he’d known the Fraccion was watching.

Ichigo looks back at him, feeling a very powerful tug on his gut, and he has to look away just to be able to breathe again.

Inoue looks at him concerned, but Ichigo just shakes his head, trying to focus on his task at hand, ignoring the blue eyes that suddenly felt almost like they were beckoning him to come closer.

No, not beckoning; it was demanding, like a king would demand for their servant to come to them when needed.

Ichigo had not felt such a powerful pull before, despite being a literal servant to several powerful figures. The tug was so strong that Ichigo felt his mind contemplating on actually going out there, despite hearing that the battle was not over; there were still fighting to be done.

 

 

That night, Ichigo’s sleep is restless; his dreams are plagued by the man and a white panther, chasing him down across the deserts of Hueco Mundo.

 

_The king was angry at him for not responding when he’d been called, and Ichigo was trying to hide from him, but to no avail, as the Panther would always tear open whatever thing he hid into._

_Eventually, he ran out of places to hide, and the beast brought him before its master, who stared down at him with intense blue eyes, so brightly colored they blinded him._

_Ichigo fully expects a punishment, pain for not doing as he was told._

_What explodes his senses is not pain, but pleasure._

_The Fraccion felt his lips fall open in a breathless moan, as the King touches him in ways no one had ever done before, hands and lips and tongue taunting every inch of his skin, until Ichigo felt like he was literally burning. He could not see what was happening, but he felt every touch, every bite and every kiss against his trembling form, and it was slowly undoing him beneath the solid, warm weight pinning him down._

_He could feel the intense warmth within him, his hands clawing and pressing against his sweet tormentor’s shoulders, his breath rapid and harsh, asking more of that feeling wordlessly, which the king was more than happy to provide for him._

_As he finally cannot take any more of it, his body turns powerless, slumping against the softness he was lying on, weighed down like he was made of led._

_A hot breath brushes over his neck, and he could hear the king’s purring tone in his ear._

_”Next time, you do as I say, or I’ll come n’ get you myself.”_

 

 

 

Ichigo sits up, breathing heavily, his eyes wide.

Touching his face, he could feel the heat against his palm. Looking down, he abruptly realized that the dream had....gathered some heat in his loins as well. He scrambles to his bathroom, taking an inventory on his face. His cheeks were flushed, his pupils were darkened, and he felt strange giddiness all around his body. Whatever was going on with his damn mind right now was not appropriate.

He was not...he was not supposed to have such lustful dreams about his superior.

Hell, it had not happened before.

Ichigo could not put it on the man’s relaxed behavior towards him, given how Nelliel and Harribel were similar - and Starrk - and none of them had caused his mind and body to react like this. Ichigo shakes his head, forcing the dream out of his mind for now; he had better things to worry about, such as attending his duties.

 

 

 

”What the hell is your deal, little shit?”

Ichigo sighs irritated, as he was cornered by the big Fraccion and his friends again.

He’d hoped to get to work without incident, but some folk just would not let things go around here, huh? ”First running away, then hiding behind an Espada, thought you got more of a spine than that!”

”For the record, I was as surprised to see Grimmjow-San there as you were.”

The big guy grits his teeth, striking his fist above Ichigo’s head.

The orange haired male doesn’t even flinch. ”Well he ain’t gonna save your sorry ass now.” The man growls, but before he could do anything, Ichigo kicks him in the gut, kick powerful enough to send the bastard flying against the opposite wall. His minion group backs away surprised, and Ichigo brushes through his hair with a slow, irritated sigh. He was fucking DONE with dealing with this fucking guy, punishments be damned!

”I was going to let you off easy, but since you’re asking for this...”

Ichigo dodges a ferocious punch and socks the bigger Fraccion in the jaw, before kicking him in the gut again, making him stumble to the ground.

”I give you one last chance to skip this pointless fight, big guy.”

Ichigo informs the man, who just growls at him and attempts to fire a cero at Ichigo, which he just dodges by jumping aside.

The blast does a large hole through the wall, and even though the one behind it. ”Aizen-Sama will not like that.” Ichigo tells the bigger male, who just fires another Cero at him, which Ichigo blocks by pulling up his sword. He’d always tried to behave well, not to cause a ruckus like this, but he was also getting tired of this bullshit. Ichigo jumps forward with a yell, and slams the flat part of his sword against the guy’s mask, cracking it lightly. He jumps back, watching blood drip out of the wound as the large Fraccion glares at him furiously. ”That’s playing dirty! You pulled out your sword before I could!”

”You wanted a fight, so you’ll be having it.”

Before either of them can move a muscle, an intense aura lands on them, forcing all of the Fraccion to the ground.

Moments later, Ichigo could hear footsteps stomping their way, and as he glances up, he spots a familiar Espada heading their way.

He feels that skip in his chest again; after the battle from yesterday, Ichigo had not seen the sixth at all; he had not come to the medical bay either despite probably having some injuries. Ichigo had not been sent to check on him either, which had been a little unusual.

His slight relief of seeing the Espada again is quickly replaced by dread however.

Ichigo swallows down hardly as he glances up at the man’s face.

Grimmjow was positively _pissed._

”Alright, who the fuck did it?!” The Fraccion all look around terrified, not knowing what the man meant. Ichigo then notices the slight bruising on the man, as if he’d been attacked; those injuries were recent, as in they were just received, rather than from yesterday’s battle.

”Somebody blasted a goddamn cero through my wall, and I wanna fuckin’ know who it was!” He growls at them, and Ichigo could feel death hang in the air; the Espada was ready to rip the person apart, he was apparently ticked off enough right now.

”I-it was him!” Ichigo felt his blood run cold as the big guy accuses him, and Grimmjow whips around, glaring at him with a vicious glare.

It looked bad, given Ichigo still had his sword out. He’s completely frozen in place as those blue eyes take note on his stance and scared expression, before turning back to look at the big guy.

”So you’re saying, that this bright carrot-top over here blasted a cero through my wall, despite me seeing you try ta blast him, in the past?”

”Uh...”

Grimmjow walks towards the Fraccion, and then grabs him by the throat.

”Somehow it feels like yer tryin’ ta pin the blame here.”

His grin was positively vicious, and Ichigo takes a step forward, wanting to stop the Espada doing from whatever he was going to; death would be too big of a punishment for something like this.

Before he could however, the Espada drops the fraccion to the floor, and with a vicious snarl, rips off most of his mask, making the man scream in pain. Rest of the group backs away, trying to escape the area, while the Espada tore their friend to shreds with his bare hands, until he was covered in blood.

Ichigo just stood there, frozen in terror.

Then, the man turns to look at him, eyes sharp with bloodlust. He was also covered in the red stuff.

Ichigo notes there was a large scar on his chest, something he hadn’t had before; it looked serious, making Ichigo wonder briefly why the Espada had not come to treat it yesterday.

”As fer you...” His voice still had a tint of anger to it, and his eyes burned so intensely Ichigo fully expected to combust into flames and burn to ashes right there. He did not know how he managed to do it, but he snaps out of his fearful state and sprints away, knowing he was out of his league.

He doesn’t stop, until he reaches Harribel and Nel’s wing, and drops to the floor at the corner, curling up and breathing out harshly, trembling in fear. Oh god, he’d pissed off an Espada, actually angered one enough to put his life in danger. Sure, Nnoitra or Szayel sometimes beat him up, but it was nothing like this. Grimmjow had looked like he wanted to rip his guts out.

As a hand lands on his shoulder, Ichigo jumps, but then relaxes finding a familiar green haired woman looking down at him concerned.

”Ichigo?”

The fraccion just looks at her with terrified wide eyes.

After telling them what happened, Nelliel and Harribel allowed the scared Fraccion to stay on their wing for now, waiting for the sixth to hopefully cool down. They seemed to have a clue on why he’d been so excessively hostile right now, as the two discuss about something briefly regarding to yesterday’s fight, but Ichigo’s mind was still reeling for him to listen.

 

Now, he was too unnerved to even go attend his medical duties.

Ichigo felt awful about it, but the second he tried to leave the safety of the third wing, his breathing would get so quick that he felt like passing out. It had been a week since Ichigo had been able to leave the safety of nel and Harribel's chambers.

It was ridiculous, he’d been beaten by an Espada before, and he’d never gotten this scared.

Perhaps.... he was terrified because Grimmjow had initially been...decent towards him, in his own way. The thought of upsetting him this bad felt awful.

 

Ichigo gets up from the mattress he’d been sleeping on and sighs, rubbing his eyes. Seriously, this fear was ridiculous. He should not let it bother his duties. Besides, Aizen-Sama would not approve of Grimmjow destroying him in all likeness, given how he was the best medical-staff member, aside from Orihime. Plus, Ichigo needed a change of clothes desperately; he’d been unable to even go to his own chambers, and Orihime and the two Espada women had been too busy to provide him with spares.

The orange haired Fraccion gets up, having made up his mind.

He inches towards the door, feeling his breath tighten. Ichigo forces himself to calm down, and takes a step out of the door, then another, and another, until he was walking. It was late at night, so there weren’t people around. Ichigo slips quickly towards his chambers, his heart beating fast in his chest. Eventually Ichigo reaches his room and sneaks in, quickly heading for the wardrobe to change.

His current clothing felt icky due to the sweat and dirt on it, so Ichigo chucks it off, wearing only his hakama pants now. As he grabs a fresh shirt however, there was a chill down his spine, and he freezes, his heart trying to leap out of his chest once again. There was a shadow blocking the doorway, and Ichigo turns around slowly, clutching the shirt in his hands.

Grimmjow was blocking his only path to escape.

”You took yer sweet time hidin’ out.”

The Espada comments with a low tone, expression neutral for a change. His hands were in his pockets as usual, but it did not mean he was not up to some form of violence; Grimmjow could deal great amount of damage with just his powerful kicks alone. Ichigo opens his mouth, but no words come out; he was trapped, he’d even left his sword behind stupidly.

The blue haired Espada walks towards him slowly, making Ichigo back away towards the wall behind him. The blue eyes follow his every move again, but the man keeps his hands in his pockets. Ichigo felt his breathing turn quicker by the second, and as he sees the man take his hand out of his pocket, Ichigo drops the shirt and attempts to flee, only to be stopped by a strong arm grabbing him and yanking him back, pinning the fearful Fraccion against the wall with his wrist held up above his head.

”I’m sorry! I never thought...”

He’s swiftly silenced by a ravenous mouth pressing against his, catching Ichigo completely off guard.

It doesn’t take him long to start responding, feeling his entire body flare up at the feel of Grimmjow’s lips on him. By the time the Espada lets him breathe, moving to kiss and bite at his neck, Ichigo was panting, his entire body shaking but not with fear anymore.

The hand let’s go of his wrist, and Ichigo drops the arm on the strong shoulder, tilting his head against the wall as his eyes slip closed. Grimmjow keeps kissing his neck, sucking on the skin there and nibbling it at times, until Ichigo could no longer form a coherent thought in his head. Finally, the Espada pulls back enough to look at him, licking his lips with a smirk.

”Like I said; yer a slippery motherfucker. Didn’t give me time to finish.”

Ichigo just stares up at his blue eyes confused, unsure on what the hell had just happened.

”I thought you wanted to kill me.” He blurts out, making the Espada snort and chuckle lowly at him. It was the kind of laugh that made Ichigo’s body heat up even worse as he heard it.

”Yeah, don’t blame you for that assumption. I was pretty worked up that day.” Grimmjow admits after a moment of silence, kissing his cheek almost softly now.

It was so at odds with how the man usually was that for a moment Ichigo thought he was dreaming.

”Some shit happened, and having my room blasted ta bits didn’t exactly help.” The man mutters into his ear, making Ichigo shiver as the warm breath danced over him. Cautiously, Ichigo reaches his hand up and places it against the man’s chest, where the large scar was. Grimmjow doesn’t react much, just shifts to look at him.

”.....Does it relate to this?” Ichigo manages to ask eventually, still feeling nervous trapped against the wall like this.

Grimmjow hums, then grasps his hand and kisses it, making the smaller male shiver again at the uncharacteristically gentle action.

”I lost my Fraccion in that battle.” Grimmjow finally states, his voice a bit quieter than it usually would be.

There was a bit of anger flaring up in his eyes again, but he kept it reined in for now. Ichigo felt his heart drop - metaphorically speaking again - and cautiously reaches up to touch the man’s cheek. It was no wonder he’d been so angry.

”I told those idiots to watch it as this raid had stronger bastards in it. Did they listen? No, of fucking course not.”

Grimmjow growls lowly, but keeps his gaze off Ichigo, indicating he was not aiming his anger at the Fraccion pinned against the wall. Not that Ichigo would have thought so anyway. He keeps caressing the Espada’s solemn face, until Grimmjow huffs out a sigh looking at him with one of those smirks that made Ichigo’s belly flutter strangely.

”I did not drop by the medic bay ’cause I would’ve probably killed someone, and Ulquiorra’s already pissy at me for traumatizing his woman.” Grimmjow snickers a bit, a darker grin that makes Ichigo shift uneasily for a second. The sinister smile is soon replaced by something softer though, as the Espada brushes through his hair, a gesture Ichigo was fairly familiar with by now - a detail that was honestly strange, given how most Espadas usually were about those of his level.

”I was also kinda hopin’ you woulda not have to see it, but that plan went sideways.”

Ichigo just stares up at the Espada, not really believing what he was hearing beneath the casual tone.

He was....almost like the man was apologizing to him for scaring him so badly.

An Espada apologized to him, a mere Fraccion, for doing something that was only natural for them to do.

Ichigo eventually finds his voice, and turns his gaze away, feeling strangely giddy and bashful.

”It’s...I understand the reaction now. It’s...fine.” He mumbles out, rubbing his neck, not daring to look up at the man. Grimmjow gazes at him for a while, blue eyes examining every feature of the lithe frame in silence, to the point Ichigo managed to become nervous and concerned again. Then, a light mischievous chuckle breaks the silence, as the Espada tugs him off the wall, closer to his warm body.

”I still feel like I gotta punish you for makin’ that bastard wreck my room.”

Ichigo manages to be terrified for two seconds, before the Espada kisses him again, hand rubbing the skin on his back before slipping up to his hair, tugging his head back so Grimmjow could reach his neck again. Ichigo’s entire body shivered with warm waves, as he soon realized what the Espada was up to. His mind went through a litany of questions then, namely whenever it was appropriate of him to do this.

The question whenever he wanted to do this didn’t even cross his mind.

 

Suddenly, Grimmjow backs away, leaving the Fraccion stumble back against the wall and gasp for air, his face flushed and his body protesting at the loss of the warmth against it.

He looks up at Grimmjow, who’d stuffed his hands back to his pockets now, and was looking at him with a stoic expression.

”M’giving you the last chance ta run. ’Cause after this, _you won’t be able to_.”

Ichigo blinks, not quite understanding what the Espada meant.

The man refuses to explain it further however, just waits. Once Ichigo manages to make his breathing settle, he steps away from the wall, looking between the Espada and the door. He was now standing to the side from it, clearly allowing the Fraccion to escape so to say, if he wanted to. Ichigo looks at the door, the bits of light shining through it and into the room, and makes his decision.

He turns and walks to the Espada, placing his hand tentatively against the man’s chest.

”You really should let me or Inoue take a look at that.” He comments softly, gaining an amused smirk from the Espada, before he tugs the Fraccion closer again, kissing him ravenously.

Ichigo responds to it now, by bringing his arms around Grimmjow’s neck pressing him as close as he could. He’d never been held like this by any of those in his rank. Most of it was either violent belittling, or parental ruffles of hair from Nelliel and sometimes Starrk. Ichigo could feel the man lift him off the floor and nearly throw him against the wall, never letting go of his lips. It hurt a bit, the impact, but the pain did not last long as Ichigo was engulfed into the fierce affection the Espada was giving him.

After a moment, the man allows him to breathe again, and Ichigo looks up at the electric blue eyes, feeling something strange bubble inside him. It was a nice feeling, but also potentially dangerous. He’d been warned about falling in love with an Espada by his peers multiple times, given how they were more likely to devour his weaker kind than truly care for them, but Ichigo had always questioned this, namely because of what he witnessed from Nel and Harribel sama, let alone the way Ulquoirra treated Inoue.

That kind of kindness and gentleness could not be described in any other way.

So, as he looked up at the wild, fierce blue haired warrior, Ichigo knew his heart - metaphorical or real, it did not even matter at this point - had given out on him. Grimmjow lifts eyebrow slightly at his examining look, but Ichigo just shakes his head and in a moment of bravery, uses his arms around the man’s neck to tug him closer for another kiss. The Espada doesn’t complain or get angry about that, just chuckles and comments on his ’bravery’ before stealing Ichigo’s breath away again.

 

 

 

Grimmjow’s bed was surprisingly comfy.

Ichigo had sat on it a few times, but never lied down.

Especially not completely bare like this, cuddled up beneath the bedsheets, enveloped in his Espada’s scent and aura that always lingered in the room. His body ached from last night, but it was good kind of pain.

After a moment, he could feel the bed shift, and moments later he was tugged against a warm and damp body, hands wrapping around his lithe frame firmly.

The Espada presses his nose into the orange locks, breathing in his scent for a moment and allowing Ichigo to just relax against him. It was probably the safest he’d felt in ages, and Ichigo quickly understood why so many wanted to become personal Fraccions.

It gave you a sense of security, as most would not mess with you if they knew you were bound to an Espada.

Without this mark, you were free prey for the stronger ones.

Ichigo could feel the aura that now surrounded him, knew what that feeling meant; he’d sensed same kind of thing radiate from Orihime, a sign that she belonged to the fourth. ’Belonging’ was not the word Ichigo would use in that case though, just like he would not call Harribel and Nelliel’s Fraccion as their servants.

For Nel, the two goofballs were like her silly little brothers.

For Harribel, they were her precious friends.

What was the case with him now however, Ichigo wasn’t sure. He releases a pleased sigh, feeling the strong hands caress his skin, lips pressing against his jaw after a moment. Hell, if this was the kind of treatment he’d get under this particular Espada, Ichigo would not care even if he was just some personal fuck-toy.

It felt too good to resist.

Except, what the man says next gives him a hint that it was a bit more than that. 

For his violent temper, Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez seemed to have a level of care for his underlings as well.

”Just so you know...” the Espada begins, brushing his lips over Ichigo’s ear and making him shiver lightly.

”You gotta stop holding back so much. I can tell yer much stronger than you let on, and I’m not havin’ my Fraccion go and get killed for his stupidity again.” It was an order, and Ichigo naturally faltered a bit under the commanding tone.

”Ya hear me? I’m not havin’ that bullshit from you anymore.” The man almost growls, and Ichigo nods, swallowing down hardly.

Seemingly satisfied by his answer, Grimmjow leans over him enough to reach his lips, and the kiss was as gentle as it was every bit possessive. Ichigo knew at that moment, that he would not have to worry about being forced to be someone’s punching bag anymore.

He belonged to one of the Espada now, which meant he had permission to stop holding back; he would not be punished excessively if he broke something and was caught for it.

Ichigo would still try and avoid unnecessary fights though; it was in his nature to do so.

”I still think you should get that scar checked.” Ichigo could not help himself.

The Espada looks down at him with baffled expression, then starts laughing, his voice less maniac-like as it would usually be. He leans back down to kiss him one last time.

”Watch yer mouth, I might start liking it too much.”

Ichigo could not stop but smirk back at that remark.


End file.
